Cable or chain conveyor systems of a type including a circuitous tube and a cable or chain with a plurality of discs attached thereto can be used for conveying granular or powdery materials for feeding animals or poultry, whole plant particles for food such as corn, beans or coffee, friable materials such as powders, chunks, flakes, pellets, parts, shavings, crumbles, granules, fluff, regrind and dust, food grade products such as coffee, nuts, etc. or industrial products such as ball bearings or threaded fasteners. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,905,473, 4,071,136, 4,395,973, 7,267,218 and 8,863,940 (all incorporated herein by reference in their entirety) illustrate cable conveying systems of the general type referred to above. Systems of this type can be seen at www.cablevey.com.
When a cable segment is traveling in a straight line there is very little flexing of the cable. But at corners of a cable conveyor system, the cable flexes or bends as the discs slide through the corners. Also, the cable flexes while going around idler or drive sprockets, or at any other place in a tube that is not straight. When traveling around these sprockets or through non-straight sections of a tube, the cable flexes. This is especially a problem at a place where the ends of the cable are connected together, for example as shown by cable connectors in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,920,340 and 7,267,218, both incorporated herein by reference. It has been empirically determined that if the cable breaks, it almost always breaks at the cable/connector junction before it breaks anywhere else. This is due to excessive bending or flexing at the cable connector.
Accordingly, there is a need for a cable connector to reduce cable flexing at the cable connector for the purpose of increasing the life of the circuitous cable with the discs attached thereto.